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New Release / Giveaway: Clarity Anthology

Queer Sci Fi’s newest LGBTQ+ speculative fiction anthology is here: Clarity. And there’s a giveaway. Clarity (noun) Four definitions to inspire writers around the world and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell: 1) Coherent and intelligible2) Transparent or pure3) Attaining certainty about something4) Easy to see or hear Clarity features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi. About the Series: Every year, Queer Sci Fi runs a one-word theme contest for 300 word flash fiction stories, and then we choose 120 of the best for … Read more

New Release: Night Ivy – E.D.E. Bell

Night Ivy – E.D.E. Bell

QSFer E.D.E. Bell has a new queer quiet fantasy out: Night Ivy. Xelle is sure in her passion for magic, but struggles to find her place within the constructs that enable its study. Night Ivy offers the first verse of a wandering bard’s tale of fancy and fantasy, amidst the spires and shadows of the seven towers of Alyssia. The first book in the fantasy world of Alyssia, featuring plant magic, friendship, and dragons. Get It At Amazon | Publisher | Atthis Arts Excerpt Xeleanor Du’Tam. You petition before us? It was always like this. She’d collect her mind to … Read more

NEW RELEASE: Alia Terra: Stories from the Dragon Realm – Ava Kelly

Alia Terra: Stories from the Dragon Realm

QSFer Ava Kelly has a beautifully illustrated new queer fantasy/fairy tale book out, filled with all the colors of the LGBTQ+ rainbow: Alia Terra. Alia Terra: Stories from the Dragon Realm draws from personal experiences, Romanian folklore with Dacian roots, and our fundamental need—to believe in ourselves. Richly illustrated by Michigan artist Matthew Spencer in shades of color and gender, the words of Ava Kelly assure that we all belong. This storybook contains gentle references to ideas of captivity and coping with societal expectations. One scene depicts an in-progress injury and moment of fright, and several pages take place underwater. … Read more

NEW RELEASE: Xenocultivars: Stories of Queer Growth

Xenocultivars: Stories Of Queer Growth

Speculatively Queer has a new queer spec fic anthology out (bi, gay, intersex, lesbian, non-binary, poly, trans): Xenocultivars: Stories of Queer Growth. This collection of speculative short fiction is about all kinds of queer growth, from emerging and developing to flourishing and cultivating. Whether they’re tender sprouts just beginning to discover themselves or deeply rooted leaders fiercely defending those they love, the people in these stories have this in common: you can’t tell them what to do. They grow as they please. Content Notes: ableism, abuse, animal harm, anxiety, (offscreen) attempted assassination/murder, blood, body horror, bullying, child abandonment, (offscreen non-graphic) … Read more

SCIENCE: There’s an Intersex Stick Insect, And Their Name is Charlie

Charlie the Intersex Stick Insect - Facebook

London’s Natural History Museum has confirmed that the first known dual-sex stick insect has been discovered – and their name is Charlie. Charlie is a green bean stick insect, or Diapherodes gigantea, who belongs to stick insect breeder Lauren Garfield who lives in Waldringfield, Suffolk. Garfield shared photos of Charlie to her Facebook page, and said that she had “accidentally” bred a “gynandromorphic” stick insect. Full Story from Pink News

There May Be Twice As many American Queer People As We Thought

Pride Flag - Deposit Photos

The results of an experimental study suggests the LGBT+ population of the United States may now be over 20 million, double the numbers previously thought. The US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey is an experimental, short-term survey designed to help officials gather data during the pandemic, with participants randomly selected to take part. A further two per cent of participants identified with a different sexual orientation to straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, which could include those who are pansexual or asexual. The survey suggests that bisexual people make up the largest demographic in the LGBT+ community, with about four … Read more

NEW RELEASE: The God Painter – Jessica Pegis

The God Painter - Jessica Pegis

QSFer Jessica Pegis has a new queer sci-fi book out: The God Painter. In the year 2035, humanity is rescued from a lethal solar flare by seven mysterious beings and transported across the universe to the uninhabited planet Ansar. Earth’s major cities are recreated, and a stunned but thankful humanity mostly carries on with life and society. But is everything as it appears? Just who are the semi-omniscient beings who rescued them? What do they really want? And to what secret place do they retreat every night? With the appearance of the seven, all the old divisions concerning gender, privilege, … Read more

Netflix Flubs Queer Representation in “Cowboy Bebop”

Cowboy Beebop

A big mystery arose when Netflix first announced its live-action version of the 1998 sci-fi noir anime series Cowboy Bebop. Queer fans of the anime immediately wondered whether the Netflix series would include Ed, a quirky and androgynous hacker who joins the series’ bounty-hunting team and is often mistaken for a boy. Ed didn’t appear in the Netflix show’s pre-release marketing, and though she stars in a majority of the anime’s episodes, she only pops up briefly at the end of the Netflix series. But people fixated on Ed overlooked another of the series’ character who is infinitely queerer — a … Read more

TV: Five Films to Open Your Hearts and Minds About Intersex People

Ponyboi

Yesterday was Intersex Solidarity Day, and what better way to learn to be a good ally to intersex people than through learning about their perspectives and experiences? Intersex people — those have physical attributes that are associated with more than one sex — represent an estimated 1.7 percent of the population. But they’re underrepresented in media. These independent films provide experiences from all across the globe, giving an important voice to underrepresented people, their stories and current struggles. In 2005, intersex ally Joelle Circe-Laramee recognized the first-ever Intersex Day of Solidarity. She invited allies and organizations to commemorate the life … Read more

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Betrothal of Usk – Felice Picano

The Betrothal Of Usk - Felice Picano

Felice Picano has a new queer sci fi book out, City on a Star book 2: The Betrothal of Usk. With the end of the Galactic Matriarchy, Vir’ism has risen, centered on Hesperia, the City on a Star. But one leader, Mart Kell, is out of power, while another, the Great Father, Ay’r, is quietly retired. On a small resort planet with a rainbow of rings, Ay’r Eise’nstein-Kell, a 16-year-old boy, air skates across the sands, dreaming of escape to the famed City on a Star. When the rulers of the galaxy-wide republic and their glamorous entourages arrive on Usk … Read more